Working at a startup can be one of the hardest, most exhilarating, sometimes stressful, but certainly the most exciting adventures of your life. But it’s one thing to strive to get into this sphere, and quite another thing ⏤ to get a place. You just can’t get by with luck. You need to have certain skills and abilities that will make you a candidate that stands out from the crowd.
Recently graduated from university? Finished the courses? Some of the candidates will be a manager with 10 years of work experience, someone ⏤ a switch, but the roles are not important here. A startup means that you will achieve your dream no matter what is behind you. But at the same time, it is a complicated task for a startup to find a professional team that will dedicate all their time and desire to succeed. Let’s familiarize ourselves with two sides of the same coin.
People ⏤ Key to Any Job
One of the many surprises in startup ecosystems is how much the people who work there support each other. According to Businessballs, modern startups hold regular meetings with opinion leaders, organize educational workshops, team ice breaking, etc. Vivid personalities ⏤ some of them will become your guide at the very beginning of a long journey.
If you are just taking your first steps in the world of startups, then you know that sometimes it can be difficult to immediately join the search for contacts. And that’s okay. What should be done to find new acquaintances? Go to events, meet people, learn to listen to them. Exchange your opinions and just ask them about the job. Don’t push yourself, but if possible, invite a few people to meet for coffee. Intuitively, you will feel with whom you would like to continue communication and cooperation. Being interested in people is the quality that characterizes the ideal startup employee.
And when it comes to actual interviews and hiring, a warm welcome from someone on the team you already know through your connections will be a much more successful confirmation. Sometimes employers themselves use networking, because it is a good technique to successfully develop a company.
One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is often too high expectations. You need to be prepared for failure. Remember that 90% of those you meet will say they will help you adapt and get comfortable. And only 10% of them will help. This is not about you, this is the human factor. However, if you approach each acquaintance with the same zeal and diligence, it will be easier for you to maintain this level when mail begins to burst with letters of support and suggestions.
Where to Find Professionals
Of course, you can ask your friends or acquaintances. Or for example, write a post on Facebook, Linkedin, or Instagram. And that’s it, your friends begin to remember someone, look for someone and write something. The text on a red background works well, it is immediately visible in the news feed. Some friends will remember that someone is doing something there but without specifics. And you just need examples.
If this is a site, then ask for a link to a working live site, not a picture in the portfolio. If you need promotion on Instagram, then ask for examples and contact clients to ask about the process and results of cooperation.
But still, the best way to find true professionals is to appeal to freelance exchanges.
Many different sites enable the client and the freelancer to find each other. Many global engineering companies have found their best workers at Engre platform. It is a huge marketplace where you can find a dedicated worker or the whole team. How to hire engineers there? There are two simple ways. Firstly, you can check the service list and find the appropriate employee who will satisfy all your needs. Secondly, you can publish your project and specify the requirements you need to succeed. Anyway, the support team at Engre platform is always welcome to help you.
Moreover, you can search on Google for personal freelance sites about your topic. Those who have gone as far as making a personal website are already focused on building strong business relationships.
There is one major drawback to searching through personal sites and chats: you have no leverage over performers if they mess up or delay. Just do not pay the remaining amount and place reviews somewhere about an unscrupulous performer who will not complicate his professional career too much.
Myths and Reality About Working with Freelancers
● Throw in money. There is such a thing and no one is 100% insured from this option, just as the client may not pay for the work. If you know what to look for when choosing a freelancer, then 95% of the problems can be avoided.
● Poor work. This is a problem for any work with contractors, regardless of the scope and scale of the project. Competent organization of the work scheme gives the client significant leverage on the freelancer to motivate him to perform quality work.
However, we must admit that very rarely even those workers who work well and earn enough money disappear unrequitedly.
● Poor communication. This is so, communication can take many times longer because basically everyone is rewriting. It should be borne in mind that most freelancers are introverts and it is easier for them to communicate via chat or letters. You may meet a sprightly extrovert, but that will be the exception.
To speed up communication, you can offer to call by phone/skype / WhatsApp or another messenger, record part of the task on video.
However, the undoubted advantage of correspondence is the ability to fix everything and at any time return to the moments that have been forgotten or cause controversy.
● Freelancers can do well and cheaply. Yes, but in order to find someone who suits you, you will need to look well. People for various reasons agree to do quality work inexpensively: talented beginners (non-zero) who need real-world portfolio challenges. For example, now everyone is actively mastering the promotion through targeted advertising, many people take online courses and they need real projects for practice. There is a chance that one of them will not waste your budget, but will start finding clients.
Good and cheap is the exception rather than the rule, but it’s real. If you are ready to spend your time and money and do not despair if it does not work out ⏤ you are welcome.
● There are no high-level professionals at the remote location (see remote job boards). The myth is partially related to the previous one, but this is certainly not the case. Often, the services of high-level professionals are at least as much or more expensive than offline workers.